


Oath

by lutece



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Lannister twins, and lions, beautiful golden fools, casterly rock childhood is what i live for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 18:43:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11995731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lutece/pseuds/lutece
Summary: “How do you know you’ll be queen?” he asked. “And me a knight, like, like Arthur Dayne himself?”Cersei rolled her eyes and leant over and her mass of hair tickled him. “Because I want to be, and father always gets us what we want. And if I want you to be my knight then it’ll be so.”





	Oath

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt on Tumblr: "oath, cersei"

Their grandfather kept lions encaged like living ornaments in the bowels of Casterly Rock, though Cersei couldn’t fathom why. Everyone knew Tytos had been a craven, undeserving to wear the might of a lion’s mane on his crest. He was why Lord Tywin couldn’t stand laughter anymore, and he surely wouldn’t have been brave enough to face real lions. 

Only he was in the ground now, because he was stupid, and the glorious beasts could belong to better masters.

She thrust her hand between the bars like she had on more than one occasion, expecting a friendly lick of a rough tongue, but it was a week gone since Melara’s death. Maybe the lions could smell the damp and rot on her, the worms that had probably made their way through the other girl’s corpse by now, waterlogged at the bottom of the well. 

“ _Cersei_!”

The one closest to the bars opened its great jaws so wide it seemed unhinged–and tried to snap at her fingers, mercilessly. It would have ripped them off if not for Jaime pulling her back in time, and with such a panicked force that they tumbled backwards, and she fell seated on him. The lion growled in disappointment and stalked back into the darkness at the back of its gilded cage.

She was in shock for just a moment. They had never threatened her before, not even when she’d climbed confidently into their cage. Perhaps this was her first taste of betrayal, and she didn’t like it. 

“You’re an idiot,” her brother’s voice said with annoyance and concern below her. His tone was almost triumphant when it shifted, “I told you they’d get you one day. Imagine what it would be like to have just one hand, you’d be completely useless.”

“And that’s why you have to be my knight.” The fear rolled off her as easily as it had come. Cersei swivelled around and looked down at him with a sharp grin. “Do you promise?”

“Will you get  _off_ me?”

“You’ve said it now, you have to take an oath.” The nearby lamps lit their golden features and she was looking into a mirror again. “You have to be my knight when I’m queen, so you can save me if I need it. Stop me from doing silly things. And you’ll never, ever, ever,  _ever_ leave me!” 

Jaime smiled after a laugh. Though they were ten-and-one, she thought this was what handsome looked like. 

“How do you know you’ll be queen?” he asked. “And me a knight, like, like Arthur Dayne himself?” 

Cersei rolled her eyes and leant over and her mass of hair tickled him. “Because I want to be, and father always gets us what we want. And if I want you to be my knight then it’ll be so.” 

“Then I’ll take that oath. I’ll take it on all the Seven. I don’t want to leave you. Now let me up.” 

For the rest of the day, he couldn’t tell why his twin’s smile back at him had been so sad. He tried to make her laugh by purposefully falling from their apple tree, and she remained solemn. 

But she had stopped believing in the Gods a long time ago. Even her dear brother’s oath was as false as they were.


End file.
